


Sometimes Family Is Just Strange, There's No Sugarcoating It

by Shinaka



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, 半妖の夜叉姫 | Hanyou no Yashahime | Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Anime)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29128206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinaka/pseuds/Shinaka
Summary: After the dust settles from the fight against Kirinmaru, Towa finds herself wanting to know more about Rin and Sesshoumaru. Setsuna is forced to go along for the ride.(Fic takes place post-anime but is somewhat non-canon due to being started before the events of episode 18 and beyond)
Relationships: Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 79
Kudos: 238





	1. Time to Go Home

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I wrote yet another fic right after finishing "Sins of the Father". I'm usually not this prolific. Anyways, I'm expecting this fic to be at least 2-3 parts long. We'll see.

Naturally, after all the fighting with Kirinmaru dies down and the twins able to have a calm moment for once with their flesh-and-blood parents, Towa wants answers.

Rin and Jaken, acting as Sesshoumaru's voice for most queries, try their best. But after all the immediately relevant questions are asked and answered – such as Setsuna's missing memories directly following the forest fire, Riku's true identity, and the state of the land post-Kirinmaru – Towa finds herself at a loss for words.

She really doesn't know her parents at all.

Towa had originally come to the Sengoku Era only to get back Setsuna's memories and her ability to sleep. Although she had become somewhat curious about her biological parents when Moroha had revealed that they were the children of the "great Sesshoumaru", that had been quickly squashed by the Tree of Ages' insistence that fighting against Kirinmaru would lead to a mortal showdown with their father, which she wanted to avoid, patricide not being one of the things she particularly wanted to commit. She also already had Sota Papa and Mama back home, and compared to them, Sesshoumaru and their mother were abstractions that she _could_ learn more about but ultimately didn't really need to.

But now that they're in front of her, it dawns on Towa that she can and should make up for lost time with them. Although home is in the Reiwa Era and she'll keep trying to return there, she can reclaim her past while figuring out a way to go back at the same time.

"Towa, Setsuna," their mother begins, looking hopeful but also shy now that the tension from the battle has passed. "I know it's been a long time since we've been together as a family. Your mother regrets having to be away for so long. But if you wouldn't mind, please come stay with me and your father for at least a little while. We want to – we want to get to know you two again."

When Towa notices the tears in Rin's eyes and that even Sesshoumaru's body is stiffening, she knows that she can't do anything else but accept her offer.

"There's no need to to cry! I know that what happened in the past wasn't your fault at all, so I'll come with you, uh, Mother!" She cringes internally at the awkwardly delivered epithet but Rin seems to be perking up already. "I really do want to know more about all of my family, just like Setsuna," and at this, Towa nudges her sister in the side.

"What, I said no such thing –"

When Rin comes over to take Setsuna's hands into her own and enthusiastically entreats her to come to the family manor, while Setsuna simply stares back with increasing awkwardness and terror, Towa knows that it's all over for her, too.

What she did _is_ a bit under-handed, but Towa figures that it's the only way Setsuna will join her.

Then she realizes that she has heard barely a peep from Sesshoumaru – their incredible and honestly terrifying father – the whole time. She should try to say something to him, Towa thinks, but what exactly?

"So... Father..."

The great dog demon angles his head slightly toward her.

"Uh..."

He's listening, Towa's assured of that, but his gaze bores such holes in her that it's hard to think. Next to Rin, who has been hugging Setsuna and giggling excitedly about what she and the twins will do together now they've been reunited, Sesshoumaru seems carved from ice with a personality to match. _How exactly did these two get together in the first place_ is a question that starts to form in Towa's mind.

"Oh, come out with it already, child –" Jaken intercedes before getting a rock to the head for his trouble. Towa blinks. Where did Sesshoumaru even get that rock from?

"Continue." That's the first word Towa's heard from him in a while.

After a few moments pass, Towa asks lamely, "So, where do you and Mother live?"

It's not riveting conversation but she _does_ need to know this piece of information at least. Plus asking the other question she has in mind doesn't seem like a good idea yet.

Sesshoumaru considers the question before giving her a small nod.

"Get everyone ready. Then follow me." He turns around as if everybody is already on the same page as him and begins to walk away.

Towa's about to shout, "Wait," but then she finds Rin pulling along a still wide-eyed Setsuna and even Jaken's recovered quickly enough to start running toward his master's feet.

So she gives up and goes with the flow, following after the group, as her mind begins to hum with all of the things that she would like to learn from her once-lost family, never mind the fact that Setsuna is glaring daggers at her.


	2. What is Home, Actually?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving at the family manor, Towa flounders while trying to talk to her parents. Setsuna also provides commentary on having dangerous dog demons as fathers.

The family manor, as it turns out, is plainer than Towa would expect given the wake of her father's reputation, a single-floor wooden affair barely larger than Sota Papa's apartment. Not that she expects to be living the life of a Sengoku princess from now on, but it's in sharp contrast to Sesshoumaru's fine silk clothes and imperious bearing.

The manor, too, is also smack dab in the middle of a forest clearing, as far away from humans and demons one can get while still allowing for a (long) walk to Kaede's village if needed. With how bubbly Rin is and how important Sesshoumaru is, this raises one of Towa's thin eyebrows. Why aren't they living closer to civilization? Isn't Sesshoumaru supposed to be both strong and wealthy and have more than just the one manservant, who seems to be barely tolerated by her father? Doesn't this living arrangement seem lonely for someone like Rin?

Setsuna also looks mildly confused by their parents' housing choices, but when she catches Towa looking for her reaction, she turns away sharply. Towa can only look on sheepishly.

Well, she'll make up with Setsuna in just a bit. Right now, their mother, who's some ways ahead of them, is looking at the house with wonder.

"It's been so long since we've been here, Lord Sesshoumaru, but the house is still standing!" She says happily, eyes darting all over the facade.

"Of course," he suddenly says from behind her shoulder, and Towa nearly faints from a heart attack on the spot. She could have sworn he had been in front of them the whole time –

"Pay better attention to your surroundings," he says, turning to Towa. His face betrays little expression, but she knows she is getting rebuked nevertheless. "Be glad I am not an enemy."

"Y-y-yes! I'll be more careful!"

"Hn," is his only response before he heads for Rin.

"Your father means well, Towa!" Rin shouts. Sesshoumaru doesn't seem to register her words.

Towa simply waves back weakly.

Her parents start talking – or rather, Rin is talking while Sesshoumaru seems to be there solely to hover over her – but Towa can't pay attention to them right now. Her face is _burning_.

Sesshoumaru is... _nothing_ like Sota Papa to say the least. Not to say that Sota Papa never chewed her out, but even during those moments, his discipline came from a place of wanting Towa to be safe and happy more than anything else (which is why she still feels guilty about not being able to transfer to at least one fewer school). But her father seems to operate only along one continuum – mildly scary, intimidating, and _terrifying_. Even Setsuna, who can be quite cold, doesn't come close to the lower end of that scale most of the time. For every stinging remark about Towa's abilities or clinginess, there are many more that come from love (if only Setsuna would admit it though).

Case in point.

"Watch yourself around him," Setsuna says quietly from Towa's side. She's still not looking at Towa, but Towa's heart lifts anyway. Her little sister is talking to her again!

"But isn't he our father? He's not really _friendly_ for sure, but we can trust him. He saved us from Kirinmaru and freed R – our mother, remember?"

In front of them, with Sesshoumaru as their silent witness, Rin and now Jaken seem to be discussing the house's current state of repair. From the rising lilt of their mother's voice and Jaken's grumpy yet familial tone, the conversation seems to be a cheerful one. When Rin notices the twins looking over, she starts waving them over. "Sorry for being distracted over here, but you can come join us, Towa, Setsuna!"

"Just because we share blood doesn't mean he is not a stranger. Is he in any of your memories, Towa? Because he's not in any of mine – not even the ones I got back," Setsuna says, before she tentatively waves back at Rin. "I at least remember being with Mother after the fire now," she continues softly.

To their mother, Towa shouts, "Just give us a few more minutes please!" When the attention of her mother's group falls off of them, Towa turns back to her twin.

"Listen, Setsuna, you couldn't remember me when we met in the modern world, but now we get along great!" Her sister snorts at this, but Towa charges ahead anyways. "And even if we can't remember Sesshou – I mean, Father, that doesn't mean he's a bad person!"

A beat.

"He is hard to talk to, though." She sighs.

Setsuna finally turns to face her older sister. "Towa, you are a clingy nuisance who insisted we were sisters without any proof –"

"Setsuna!"

"But I know the truth about you now." Her eyes purposely don't look at Towa's when she says this, but it doesn't stop Towa's heart from growing two sizes larger.

Then Setsuna's face becomes grim. "But not only do we have no memories of our own father, but he also happens to be one of the most powerful and dangerous demons to exist. There is no harm in being on your guard, Towa."

She can't really argue against that logic, however depressing it might be.

"Fine, but... Look if he's with someone like Mother, who you remember better than I do, then I really don't think he could be _that_ bad. Scary, yes. But not bad." She nods along with her words, as if trying to convince herself.

Setsuna looks as if she's about to make a counterpoint, but becomes close-mouthed when Rin comes close to them.

"Is everything okay, you two?" Their mother sounds... scared? Behind her, their dog demon father is cooly appraising the twins. "It's been a while since I called you over..."

_Oh no_.

A little too late, Towa realizes that they had left Rin alone for longer than they had meant to. Their mother who, scant hours before, had been stuck inside the Tree of Ages for at least eight years and hadn't seen Setsuna for about as long, and who also haven't seen her other child for at least ten years.

Moe Mama would have been _all_ over her if she had been in Rin's shoes.

"Yes, we're okay, we were just talking and I, uh, I'm really sorry!" Towa bows fully at the waist, which only alarms Rin.

"Towa, you don't have to – there's no need to bow like that!"

"But I'm – " She's making grabbing motions with her hands at her sides as if it'll help her say the right words. "You only wanted your kids to come over and it's been so long since you've last seen us, and oh god, Moe Mama would be so disappointed in me – "

"Moe Mama?"

Now she's just confusing their mother, dammit.

Sesshoumaru and Rin are her _parents_ and Towa can't even talk to either of them normally. With Setsuna, the clear and warm childhood memories of her twin were enough for Towa to overcome any awkwardness or frustration that got in the way of reforging their sisterly bond. But unlike Setsuna, she has very few memories of her mother – she remembers a soothing silhouette but not much else – and as her twin has pointed out, she can't even remember Sesshoumaru himself.

Then as she's wallowing in self-pity, still bent at the waist in front of Rin, Setsuna speaks up.

"My apologies, Mother, but we were having a conversation that went longer than expected. Towa struggles with her words sometimes. We will accompany you now though, if you wish."

Just like that, the situation begins to lighten.

"Oh, I see! Thank you, Setsuna, for explaining. You don't have to be so formal though!" Their mother's laugh is bright and cuts through the tension. Towa's back starts to unkink.

"And Towa," Rin says, laying a hand on the girl's back. "You really don't have to keep bowing. You're not Master Jaken, are you?"

Her comments are what Towa needs to stand tall again. "All right, mother, if you insist," she says, starting to smile again.

And in the distance, is that... her father trying not to grin? It's gone as soon as Towa notices, but just the ghost of that smile and Rin's lighthearted nature make reuniting with her flesh-and-blood parents suddenly seem so much less daunting.

They may not be close to being a whole family, but like hell is Towa going to give up on them before they even had time to get going.

When Setsuna catches a glance of Towa's face – steely-eyed and happy – she just sighs and shakes her head to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied in the last chapter. This is going to be more than three chapters long at the very least. 
> 
> I'm going to try not to go over five chapters, but if I keep getting interesting ideas for how the twins will behave around their parents, then who knows?
> 
> However, we're definitely getting a whole family conversation next chapter, so please look forward to that :)


	3. Families Share Meals, You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole family has dinner. Sort of. And then Towa makes sure the whole family has dinner together.

Dinner is a spare but tasty affair on the veranda.

While Towa sits with Setsuna on her left and Rin and Jaken to her right on the wooden platform, Sesshoumaru chooses instead to lean against a tree in the courtyard, head tilted up toward the evening sky. He also spurns food despite Towa's (fumbling) attempts to offer him some and Rin has to gently inform her that not only does Sesshoumaru not eat often but he also doesn't eat human food generally.

"But me and Setsuna eat normally," Towa responds, becoming internally more perturbed at her father's behaviors. "Moroha also eats a lot, too."

Setsuna sighs. "Towa, that's because we are part human. As a demon slayer, you see many full-blooded demons who either eat as often as Sesshoumaru or who consume humans as their entire diet."

Towa's back grows rigid at an unnerving possibility that just presented itself to her. "Does Se – does Father eat _humans_?"

Rin looks back at her wide-eyed. "No, he doesn't –"

"How _dare_ you suggest that the great Lord Sesshoumaru, your _father_ , stoop so low as to eat humans?" The screeching of Sesshoumaru's manservant – or maybe goblinservant, Towa isn't exactly sure – suddenly fills the courtyard, making Towa wince. If he hasn't been paying attention to their conversation before, then Sesshoumaru is definitely doing so now.

"I was just wondering because of what Setsuna said!"

Crud, now Setsuna is glaring at her.

Jaken continues unabated. "Lord Sesshoumaru is a greater demon who has no need to feed himself in such an _uncouth_ manner! Child, count yourself lucky that you are his heir or else Lord Sesshoumaru will have your –"

" _Jaken_." Her father's voice is loud and clear even across the courtyard. Towa gulps. For how much he intimidated her earlier in front of the house, Sesshoumaru is using infinitely more venom in his tone toward the goblin.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?!" Jaken immediately falls to his knees, now sounding as ingratiating as possible.

" _Be quiet_."

" _Yes!_ This Jaken will –"

And yet another rock that Towa can't account the movement for fells Jaken.

"Oh, Master Jaken," Rin breathes out, as if she's seen this same exchange many times over. Then she turns back to the twins. "But you've heard him. Your lord father has and will never eat humans, so please don't worry about that. I wouldn't be with Lord Sesshoumaru if he did such things anyway."

Towa's shoulders start to relax. "That's real good to hear, M-Mother."

"Yes, it is," Setsuna agrees firmly. Towa can picture Setsuna crossing off one potential demon slaying assignment off her list and shudders a little. Not even their father would be spared if Setsuna or Kohaku deems him a threat in any way, huh.

After the excitement Towa's question causes, the group lapses back into a somewhat comfortable silence while sipping on soup and chewing on mushroom skewers. Even Jaken gets up after a few minutes and resigns himself to partaking in the meal. As they eat though, she sneaks peeks at Sesshoumaru every so often.

All he seems to be doing is... looking at the sky.

Even if he can't eat like a human or even a half-human, can't he at least join them for dinner? This is the first time he's seen their mother or the twins for many years, right? Would it kill him to at least sit closer? Also, why aren't Rin and Jaken making a fuss about it? If Sota Papa decided to do this kind of thing back home, Moe Mama, as nice as she was, would sweetly but _firmly_ persuade him otherwise.

Maybe Rin is just trying to be considerate? Sesshoumaru did fight in a major battle just earlier today. But still, the whole situation rankles Towa. If they're going to be a family again – even if Towa doesn't have plans to stay permanently for now – then they should at least have a meal together like a family.

"Father!" Towa shouts. Oh, good, she didn't trip over saying "Father" this time. "You don't have to eat with us, but won't you sit with us?"

The others pause their eating. Rin looks as if she wants to interject, but then holds back at the last minute. Setsuna merely sighs.

"Lady Towa!" Jaken's voice rises in pitch.

Under the tree, Sesshoumaru silently turns toward his eldest twin.

Forgetting her earlier trepidation around him, she presses on. "You're really far away, you know? It makes it hard to talk to you! Besides, shouldn't family be together during meal time? This is one of the few ways families get to spend time together these days!"

By the time Towa's finished shouting, her face is as red as the streak in her hair and she finds herself more homesick and emotional than she expected for Sota Papa and Moe Mama. Even when they had their disagreements, Towa could trust in them all to be open enough to reach out and knit themselves back into a close and warm family soon enough. She knows she can't expect to have a father instantly in Sesshoumaru but she's been making an effort so far – why can't he?

"You are loud."

He doesn't raise his voice but no matter; it still carries over to Towa and stuns her speechless. After all she has said about family, _that_ is all Sesshoumaru can say? Her hands start curling into fists.

But then her father surprises her again.

Rising from his spot, he walks serenely over to the veranda and chooses a spot several feet away from Towa's group to sit on, but still significantly closer than he had been before.

Rin speaks up, clapping her hands in delight. "Seems like our Towa can be just as forceful as her father when she wants to be!"

"Hm," serves as Sesshoumaru's only reaction.

"Uh," Towa can only mumble.

"I'm also glad you're sitting closer to us, Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin says sweetly, before turning back to her skewer.

His only response is to close his eyes and lean back against one of the veranda's supports.

Now that her father has actually joined them like she wanted him to, Towa can't stay angry for long. So she lets out a long but quiet exhale and starts munching away again, trying to ignore Setsuna's all but open judging of the scene she had just caused.

But as she would tell Setsuna later that night as they unroll their futons, at least Sesshoumaru had enough of a heart to come over when beckoned, so maybe he's not so bad after all? Her younger sister can only look back at her with skepticism before continuing to lay out her futon.

Back at the dinner though, Sesshoumaru's proximity seems to have loosened her mother's tongue and smiles. Not that she lacked for friendliness before, but it's plain as day right before Towa just how much having her father there makes Rin so much happier. Towa smiles to herself – she has done a good thing for her newfound family after all.

"Don't the toasted mushrooms bring back memories, Master Jaken?" Rin mumbles around her skewer.

Jaken heaves a long suffering sigh. "If by memories, you mean getting down on our knees like commoners to scrounge for food, then yes, Rin, this does take me back."

Towa's ears prick up at this. "You didn't grow up a noble or anything like that, M...Mother?"

While she can't make heads or tails yet of how such... _dissimilar_ people got married and had her and Setsuna, Towa had thought they had run into each other on account of both being nobles at the very least. Sesshoumaru doesn't seem the type to willingly associate with just anybody, judging from his look of distaste when Moroha had screamed at him for not leaving Kirinmaru's head intact after the battle (though maybe that isn't the best example to judge him by). At any rate, the image of Sesshoumaru voluntarily associating with farmers in his fancy silk clothes is making Towa's head hurt from the cognitive dissonance of it all.

"Nope!" Rin blithely responds before chewing on another mushroom.

Surprisingly, Setsuna speaks up here.

Almost shyly, she asks, "What was your past like?"

Rin hums under her breath considering her younger daughter's question. "Well..."

"Hmph, this will probably be a boring story as most human stories are, but feel free to satisfy your daughters' curiosity. Children should know where their parents come from after all." Jaken shakes his head but he's leaning more into the conversation nevertheless. It's actually kind of cute to Towa how much of a tsundere the goblin demon can be. She wouldn't dare say it to his face though – the resulting screeching would probably never end.

Even the air around Sesshoumaru seems more charged, more pointed toward them than earlier and for the first time ever, Towa doesn't think it so far-fetched that her father is actually interested in her mother. Maybe it's a bit mean to him considering he did just save Rin from a magically induced sleep after all today, but even then, his actions seemed to be out of emotionless duty to Towa. He had put her mother there in the Tree of Ages for her protection and then once the danger had passed, simply pulled her out of it.

She wouldn't mind being wrong though. Even if Towa can't quite be a family with near-strangers yet, seeds are being planted that will help tie them together. Even Setsuna is looking raptly upon their mother, seeking a story that will make _this_ – their odd family of demons and half-demons – and their ten years of separation from each other make _sense_.

"So I grew up in a fishing village with my parents and brothers..." Rin begins.

They all lean in to listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger there but the chapter was going to be monstrously long had I kept going, so I had to cut it somewhere.
> 
> However, next chapter will feature Rin's retelling of her past in full, complete with everybody else's reactions :)
> 
> Also, a reviewer asked where A-Un is. He will show up... at some point.


	4. Mother's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin tells all about how she met Sesshoumaru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this chapter after watching episode 18. And then I got hit with horrible writer's block for a while AND was in the process of moving out, so I couldn't finish this chapter until very recently. Thank you all for being patient and for the kind comments during the wait – they really were greatly appreciated even if I hadn't gotten to reply to some of them yet!

"So I grew up in a small village with my parents and brothers. I was the youngest. We were poor but we were happy." Rin smiles but her eyes are sad. "I don't remember them very well anymore, but I remember doing things together like gathering food in the forest, catching fish from the river, or weaving baskets at home. It was hard work, but I was with everybody so it was okay."

Towa has a sinking feeling about the next part of her mother's story. Setsuna's face remains impassive throughout, but Towa catches the tensing of her sister's shoulders.

"Then one day, when I was around seven, bandits came inside our house while we were sleeping." Their mother looks down at the ground then. "I remember my dad and brothers trying to fight them off the best they can. My mother was able to take me outside of the house and hid me as well as she could in the forest nearby. Then she ran back to try to help the others."

Rin stills here.

"You don't have to – you don't have to talk about what happened next if you don't want to," Towa says. She knows that living in the Sengoku Era is not all sugar and rainbows from the adventures she's had with Setsuna and Moroha, but it's quite another thing to confront it in the details of her mother's childhood.

Rin looks first at Towa and then Setsuna.

"Thanks for being so considerate," she says. "But I'll be okay. Also I want my daughters to know all about their mother if they're asking."

She gives them a reassuring smile and then continues.

"I hid for as long as I could, waiting for my parents to come back. I think I fell asleep. By the time I woke up, it was noon and my parents still hadn't come back for me. So I ran back home and... I found them in my house with my brothers."

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"The bandits had done really, really awful things to them. We had been a family just the day before. Then I was the only one left. And I couldn't – I couldn't speak after seeing them."

They let the words sink in for the span of several heartbeats.

Then Setsuna breaks the silence first. "I am... sorry for your loss," she says softly.

And though Towa has only known her birth mother for half a day at most if she discounts vague childhood memories, she _aches_ for her now. On instinct, she reaches out to hold Rin's hand and squeezes it tightly.

"I'm so sorry, too. I can't imagine having to go through that at all," Towa says, blinking back nascent tears.

Behind Rin, Towa notices that Sesshoumaru's eyes have widened a fraction compared to before. She cannot read his expressions well, as unchanging and emotionless as they seem to be, but she likes to think that maybe her father is responding in some way to his wife's tale.

"You two are such good children," her mother says, eyes wet. She turns over her hand so that she can squeeze Towa's hand back, and with her free hand, she reaches over to pat Setsuna's head. "But my story gets much better afterwards, I promise!"

Jaken, respectfully quiet until now, jumps in. "Of course it does, Rin! Only a very few are so lucky to be blessed with Lord Sesshoumaru's presence! In fact, why don't I take over from here –"

"Jaken." Sesshoumaru captures the group's attention. "Let Rin speak."

Towa's jaw drops a little. Is this the first time her father has actually used their mother's name in front of them? And compared to how he speaks the rest of the time, the way he says her name is almost... _gentle_? Or at the very least like he isn't about to chide her for making a mistake.

The goblin demon flails around for a bit before reluctantly assenting.

"I'll do a good job in your place, Master Jaken," Rin says, laughing, her head tilted toward Sesshoumaru's in fondness.

"You will," Sesshoumaru replies, before leaning back against the veranda support again and closing his eyes.

That was... kind of a nice moment between her parents, Towa thinks. She'll make sure to tell Setsuna about it later, just to give her fewer reasons to go on a demon slaying hunt against their father in the future.

Then Rin's hand on Towa's snaps her attention back to her.

And Setsuna, whose hair is now being combed by their mother's fingers and who looks almost pleasantly dazed by it. Towa stifles a giggle. How cute! But no way is she going to risk looking at the blade end of Kanemitsu no Tomoe if she can help it.

"So let's see..." Rin picks up the thread of her story again. "I spent a year after that just trying to survive. I wasn't able to speak and I didn't want to, in any case. The other villagers didn't treat me very well because of that. But then –"

She turns her head toward Sesshoumaru. "I met your father in the forest."

Towa quickly calculates in her mind. "You were _eight_ when you met Father?" she asks incredulously.

She's trying not to jump to conclusions after the misunderstanding over Sesshoumaru eating humans that _just_ happened not too long ago, but she can't help but play in her mind Sota Papa's words to Mei: "Always be careful around adults you don't know, especially if they're grown men!"

Rin seems oblivious to Towa's mental struggle. "Yes, that sounds right. Anyways, I found Lord Sesshoumaru hurt and unable to move. To be honest, he seemed kind of scary," her tone grows sheepish here, even though Towa is more surprised that her mother _doesn't_ seem to find him terrifying otherwise. "But I couldn't just leave him. I might not have been able to do anything for my family back then, but I could at least help Lord Sesshoumaru!"

He makes a noise that sounds vaguely between acknowledgement and disagreement, but what Towa would find somewhat condescending, Rin sees as encouragement.

"I tried really hard to give him water and different foods, but as you found out earlier tonight, your father doesn't really eat human food. But I wanted so badly to help. However, the other villagers didn't take kindly to me stealing fish from them, so they ended up beating me."

"R– Mother..." Towa says. And although her mother's bullies are long in the past, it doesn't stop Towa from wishing she could have taught them a lesson.

"Even so, I didn't want to give up on helping my lord. When I came back to him, he rejected my food again, but your father did a really kind thing for me."

She adds shyly, "Well, it felt very kind to me at least. It might seem like a small thing to you two."

Towa finds Sesshoumaru looking at Rin closely now.

"What is it?" Towa asks, intensely curious, if not a bit nervous given the age gap she now knows lie between them at their first meeting. Even Setsuna seems interested, eyes wider than usual, body language less tense and guarded.

Her mother smiles broadly and then answers. "He asked about my bruises."

"Oh." Towa finds herself saying, before clapping her hands to her mouth. "I'm sorry, that just came out –"

"I did say it might not seem like much," Rin says, not unkindly. "But it had been a long time since anybody had showed any concern for me. It was... really nice."

Jaken shakes his head. "Seriously, that was how you two first met? Little human girls and their audacity – eek, Lord Sesshoumaru, I'm sorry, I'll keep quiet!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrow at his retainer before settling on Rin again. "Continue," he says, again in that barely softer tone of voice he seems to use exclusively for their mother.

"Thank you, my lord," she says sweetly. "Anyway, I wanted to keep trying to help your father, especially after that moment. So when I went back home, I was thinking of giving him the pickled radishes my parents had made before they had passed. But then I found a strange man in my house."

Setsuna – and even her father's – hackles are raised then. "What was he doing there?" Setsuna asks, grimacing, and Towa can tell that she is expecting the worst. Towa's heart can't help but race as well, and even before she hears the details, she laments the horrible things that have already befallen her mother before she was even Mei's age.

"I was scared. I didn't know if he was going to hurt me like the bandits that killed my family. But then a lot of screaming started coming from the village, and he got scared enough to leave. He even tried to flee by swimming across the small lake by my hut." Rin gulps. "And that's when I saw the wolves."

She puts an arm around herself, as if trying to shield herself. Towa makes sure to squeeze her mother's other hand harder as well. "They were vicious and merciless. The strange man, all the people in the village... no one could escape the wolves. As soon as they ran someone down, they were bitten and ripped into pieces in a matter of seconds. I started running away as fast as I could."

Rin closes her eyes. "I know this might seem strange but somehow I knew that if I ran toward Lord Sesshoumaru I would be safe." Towa flicks her attention toward her father, and finds him seemingly staring harder at her mother than before.

"I tried and tried. I got into the forest where he was but at the end, I was only a small child. I couldn't outrun the wolves for long, and they got to me." She smiles ruefully.

Towa scratches her head in confusion. Before she can voice her question, Setsuna surprisingly beats her to the punch.

"How were you able to survive?" She asks, a gentle undercurrent to her usually strict countenance.

Their mother's next words shock them.

"I didn't." Rin says simply. "The wolves had killed me."

Before Towa can gracelessly sputter out her surprise, Rin quickly steps in to alleviate the twins' confusion. "But remember how I said I was running toward your father? I didn't know it at the time, but he had a sword named Tenseiga that could bring the dead back to life. And because I had been running toward him, he was able to find and revive me!"

Her mother is absolutely beaming here, and Towa can't help but be caught up in her enthusiasm. As fantastical as Towa's adventures had been since arriving in the feudal era, _a sword that can resurrect the dead_ is on a whole different level and something Towa would normally have so, so many questions about. But somehow, even _that_ pales in comparison to viewing her mother's sheer delight in having her faith in her father rewarded, especially after having gone through trauma after trauma.

"It was a simple matter," Sesshoumaru says. If he's aware of the irony of his statement, he doesn't show it, but Towa can only shake her head at how her father can make resurrection sound utterly mundane. Even Setsuna looks slightly put off at the easy admission of sheer power he has – over both the living and dead, he seems to wield absolute power.

"Even so, my lord," Rin begins happily. "You saved someone like me at my greatest moment of need."

Her parents still do not make much sense as a couple to Towa, and her father has yet to speak more than a few sentences to any of them. But when Towa sees Sesshoumaru reach out for Rin, putting a clawed hand on her shoulder, such thoughts melt away. When Rin leans into his touch, making even her father hum a short note of satisfaction, Towa realizes that however mismatched they might seem, both in appearance and power, genuine love is nevertheless there between the two of them.

Maybe they're more similar to Sota Papa and Moe Mama than she initially thought.

"Oh!" Rin exclaims suddenly, coming back to the world. Sesshoumaru returns his hand to his side. "There's much more that happens after Lord Sesshoumaru revived me by the way. I ended up traveling with him and Master Jaken for several months trying to defeat a half-demon named Naraku. That's how I met Moroha's parents – your father's brother and Lady Kagome – too!"

She also adds sheepishly. "I also died again during that time and your father had to find another way to revive me."

"What." Both Towa and Setsuna blurt out.

"That'll be a story for another night though," their mother says as if she hadn't dropped yet another bombshell about her mortality on them. "It's getting late and good girls need their rest after all!"

"But –" Towa sputters.

However, as the older twin quickly learns, while Rin may not possess any powers, she possesses a will of steel. Pretty soon, Towa and Setsuna are ensconced in their room for the night, lying in the fanciest futons they have and will ever be in.

"I can't wait to hear more about our mother's life," Towa says, running her hands over the filigreed flowers on her futon. "She's really been through a lot."

Setsuna, now that she has gotten her dreams back, sounds as if she's already on the verge of her first sleep in years. "Yes," she murmurs.

"But," Towa begins to voice the thought that's been niggling at her for the past few hours. "Did they get married when our mother was..." She can't bring herself to finish the thought. "They seem to love each other, which is great but..."

Only soft snores greet Towa.

* * *

"I hope the girls are able to get to sleep all right," Rin frets aloud as she combs her hair in front of the vanity in the master bedroom.

"Setsuna is asleep," her lord husband says. "But Towa seems to be," and his brow wrinkles slightly before continuing, "worried about the age at which we married."

Rin frowns. "Why would she be worried about –"

Then her eyes widen. "Oh no, they think that you started to court me as a child, my lord!"

"That is not the case," Sesshoumaru says as if this should be patently obvious to all.

"It is not, Lord Sesshoumaru, but I didn't make it clear to them at all," she moans. She has waited ten years for a proper reunion with her children and now she's already faced with a strange misunderstanding between them.

Sensing her unease, Sesshoumaru responds. "This matter can wait tomorrow, Rin."

With one swift movement of his hands, he pulls down her robe from her shoulders and brings her body against his.

"Come to bed," he whispers into her ear.

"Yes," she can only say in return.

After all, Rin can always speak to their daughters tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we're reaching the end soon, folks. To be honest, I think I only have enough juice for 2 more chapters, max. However, that doesn't mean that I won't think about writing other SessRin family-centric fics, possibly spin-offs from this same fic. I also can't promise that my next update will come soon due to RL events but I do hope to finish this fic at the very least. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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